Election buzz picking up
MIRI: The election buzz is finally beginning to pick up as March draws to a close and the political parties ramp up their activities and preparation for fourteenth General Elections (GE14) which is expected to be held either in late April or early May.
While the political temperature in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah has risen since last year, the election fever has been comparatively lukewarm in the state.
In northern Sarawak the constituents in Lawas and Limbang have been rather cool about the coming election perhaps due to the fact that the opposition will face an almost impossible task to wrest the seats from Barisan Nasional (BN) and the conclusion is foregone even before the first salvo is fired.
There is hardly any election excitement in Miri so far aside from a few eyebrows raised over billboards put up by some quarters which have been taken down .
In Baram, some ripples on the BN candidacy earlier on was the only sign of election in the air as there were doubts over the fielding of incumbent Anyi Ngau of PDP who scrapped through with a 194 votes majority in the last election.
However, it now seems likely that Anyi will defend his seat as his party has given him its backing.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is scheduled to visit Sarawak on April 4-6 as he wraps up his countrywide walkabouts, having completed similar tours in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
He will visit Miri, Marudi, Sungai Asap and Bekenu before heading to Kuching.
He may hint of dissolution of parliament soon but Najib has been keeping the cards close to his chest and even ribbing journalists with his tongue-in-cheek “when is the election ? ” teaser.
Sources said the prime minister is slated to launch the BN manifesto for GE 14 on April 7, a strong indicator that dissolution is on the cards soon. BN has never announced its manifesto before dissolution in the past but the coming battle is unprecedented as the opposition’s poster boy is no other than Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia turn opposition leader.
The clock is ticking and the BN election machinery has already made its dry run while the opposition trying to fight under the Pakatan Harapan banner is still unsure whether that is possible or otherwise pending the decision by Registrar of Society. Its plan B is contest in its respective component parties’ symbols.
In Sarawak, the state BN chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has been ticking off the big tickets of projects to be rolled out, a clear indicator that BN is ready to rumble.
The last State Election led by his predecessor, the late Pehin Sri Datuk Patinggi Adenan Satem, has been a roaring success for the BN as it rolled back the gains of the opposition in Chinese-dominant urban seats while sweeping the Bumiputera seats.
It won 72 out of the 82 seats, with PBB and PRS having perfect outing.
The winning formula in seat distribution was BN direct candidates for seats in dispute between BN component parties, BN-friendly parties and newly created seats while it was status quo for other seats among BN component parties.
This parliamentary election Party Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) the party embroiled in a bitter dispute with the party from which it broke away, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), is no longer in the fray.
Even SPDP has changed its name to Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
United People’s Party formed by members expelled by Sarawak United People’s Party has seemingly made peace with the party they broke away from through the signing of a MoU to cooperate in the best interest of the Chinese community which both claim they represent.
With the new election boundary delineation and Anti-Fake News certain to become law after it has been passed in parliament and signed by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, all eyes are on Najib announcing the dissolution of parliament most probably in the middle of next month.
The money is on the election to be held before another opposition giant, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is released from prison in June this year.